HOMEOWNER PLANNING GUIDE

Keeping the gas furnace? Plan the heat pump and gas work together

Adding a heat pump to a BC home with gas heating? Clarify retained equipment, controls, gas work, permit responsibility and rebate conditions.

Gasfitter.ca Editorial · October 19, 2026. Official information checked on this date.

Write down what is staying

A heat-pump quote should say whether the existing gas furnace will remain, be modified or be removed. Do not leave that decision hidden behind a phrase such as ‘upgrade the heating’. List other gas appliances too, including fireplaces, ranges and water heating. The professional assessing the work needs to understand the proposed change and the equipment that still serves the home.

Give the two systems one operating plan

If both systems are proposed, ask the installer to explain compatibility, thermostat responsibilities and how heating changes between sources. Request an explanation of normal operation and which settings a homeowner should leave alone. This is a briefing question for qualified professionals, not a recommendation to connect arbitrary equipment or change control settings yourself.

Make trade responsibility explicit

Ask who assesses the existing furnace, who carries out electrical work and who is responsible for any refrigerant or gas work. Technical Safety BC says residential heat-pump installation or upgrades generally require electrical permitting, and modifying or removing a gas furnace or boiler also needs the appropriate gas permit. Confirm the authority for the property and the actual scope with the contractor; one business name on an advertisement does not explain every trade’s responsibility.

Keeping gas can change the rebate question

Do not assume an offer for replacing fossil-fuel heating applies when the furnace stays. Better Homes BC separates conversion and dual-fuel pathways, each with its own conditions. Ask the contractor to name the program, identify the qualifying equipment combination and confirm the retained heating arrangement against the current rules. The decision belongs before ordering and installation, not after a rebate application has been declined.

Removal is a defined item of work

If gas equipment is being removed, ask what happens to the associated supply, venting and other connected appliances. Have the qualified contractor identify the required decommissioning scope, permits and completion records. An equipment-removal line should not be treated as a homeowner instruction to disconnect gas piping or electrical services.

Compare the job around the appliance

The outdoor unit is only one part of the proposal. Ask about duct suitability, indoor distribution, controls, electrical capacity, access and any building repairs needed after the work. Separate equipment warranty, installation terms and future maintenance. Compare the full project cost and scope rather than assuming one heating choice is always cheaper to run for every property.

Keep a useful handover

Retain the accepted equipment schedule, operating instructions, commissioning information and the relevant permit records. Ask who handles a question involving both systems and who maintains any retained furnace. Label unresolved items and the agreed next action. Gasfitter.ca provides project-planning information; its general enquiry address does not certify an installer, a rebate entitlement or the suitability of a proposed system.

Official sources and related guides

• Better Homes BC: current Energy Savings Program requirements
• Technical Safety BC: heat-pump permits and qualified work

Compare gas-fitting quotes · Keep the handover records · General project enquiries

Gasfitter.ca Editorial · 2026-10-19